Minishnapped!
by koholint
Summary: Minish Vaati is being chased by a 6 year old Hylian girl! He eventually gets caught, and to his horror, the girl's Hylian family takes him home with them. Oh no! Will little Vaati ever get back home? Or will he learn a thing or two from his misadventure?
1. Chapter 1

This isn't a one-shot! I intend to make it a fairly long fic. Not too long, mind you (I have a bunch of other fics to take care of!) but definately longer than 5 or 6 chapters.

Be sure to tell me what you think!

* * *

"Master Ezlo! Help!" A young Minish's cry echoed throughout the field. 

Vaati ran through the forest of grass. He was running faster than he'd ever run in his entire life. Even when he tripped on blades of grass that blocked his path, he got up and kept on running.

DOOM…DOOM…DOOM…

Vaati gasped for air and pressed on. The tremors were getting closer… he panicked and stumbled on a pebble. Ahead loomed his only hope of salvation. Vaati quickly ducked into a thornbush and fought his way out.

Many times he stopped, barely saving himself from being run through by a thorn. The cruel spikes tore his clothes and scratched his pale skin. Fallen barbs pierced his paws. He found the end of the bush and ran wearily into the sunlight once more.

Vaati paused, listening carefully for his pursuer. Hearing nothing, he allowed himself some air and licked a gash on his hand. Blood dripped onto the ground.

DOOM…DOOM…

Vaati let out a terrified shriek and threw himself into a mad dash. His decorative feather snagged on a thorn and was left behind. Vaati ignored it and ran blindly. If he could make it to the village, he could escape…

Grass slapped his face, but he paid it no mind. His hair whipped out behind him as he ran. Suddenly he tripped on his robe and fell flat into the dirt. He lay, winded, and could not move.

Even so, he struggled to stand, but when he didblack dots obscured his vision. When they cleared he found himself lying on the floor again, stunned. His tiny, abused and battered body shook with exhaustion. He closed his eyes. Tears leaked out of them.

The cause of the quake, his hunter, moved closer, and the tremors became stronger. Vaati felt his entire world shake. He curled up into a ball as though that would protect him. He shivered in fear.

"This is it! I'm barely twelve years old and I'm going to die…" Vaati thought bitterly. A small sob escaped him.

Miraculously, the ground stopped shaking. Still afraid, yet curious, Vaati peeked out from behind his hands. The sun was blocked out. He saw his stalker out of the corner of his eyes and immediately cringed.

A gargantuan hand reached towards him. Vaati's eyes widened and his pupils contracted into slits. Something caused him to clench his fist and bare his teeth.

"I'm not going down without a fight!" he thought, adrenaline coursing through his system, "If I have to, I'll take them all down with me!"

He lunged and sank his teeth into flesh. Then he bit down as hard as he could until he tasted the metallic flavor of blood. Vaati was surprised to hear a shriek.

"OWW! MOMMY! It bit me!" The giant howled.

Vaati felt a horrible lurch. The hand was shaking itself, trying to rid itself of its discomfort. Vaati held on tighter, but he knew eventually his neck would snap. He didn't want to die or fall, but the ground was so terribly far away… He felt a sharp pain in his spine and knew what he had to do. Vaati let go.

He was launched instantly into the air. He felt higher than the birds; even higher than the stars. But his exhilaration could not last forever. All too soon, his arc curved downwards and he was hurtled towards the earth.

Vaati opened his mouth to scream, but no sound came out. All he could see was the ground coming closer and closer. Vaati frantically searched for a means of deliverance, but could find none. He mentally cursed himself for losing his feather. Perhaps that could've saved him. No leaves were falling, either, so he couldn't glide down safely. All he could do was close his eyes and wait for the fatal impact.

It never came. Vaati found himself lying on the palm of another gigantic hand, this one larger than the one he'd wounded. His landing had been rough, but he was ok otherwise. He shivered, remembering his close encounter.

Then he actually noticed he was on a hand.

Vaati screeched. He attempted another bite, but the fingers of the hand lifted him gently by the scruff. He twisted and jerked, trying to escape, but he couldn't fight the power of the hand.

He only just noticed how desperate his situation was. What were the Hylians going to do to him? Vaati had heard awful stories of Minish being captured and squashed, or worse. He decided to play possum. Perhaps they would let him go if they thought he was dead…?

He made himself go limp. He could hear the Hylians conversing; they had concern… for him? He heard them speaking.

"Dear, what _is_ this?"

"I don't know."

"Mommy! Let me see! I caught it!"

"Now, now, Meggie, you've scared the poor thing enough…'  
"NO! GIMME IT!"

The Hylian mother calmed her child down. Vaati cracked open an eye just enough to see what was going on. He still hung by the scruff of his neck. He stayed motionless; he figured that the monsters would soon grow tired of him and let him go. He held onto the small sliver of hope.

"Is it still alive, dear? It's not moving."

Vaati chuckled silently to himself. His plan was working! Soon he'd be back in his mushroom, safe and sound. Ezlo would either spoil him rotten for coming home in one piece or give him another lecture. He'd have to prepare for an earful; Ezlo had only spoiled him twice, and that was when he'd aced a major part of his studies.

"No, don't worry about it, hon. I've seen lizards do this all the time! They think that if they play dead, they'll soon be freed. Of course, lizards often drop their tails, too…"

"This isn't a lizard! It's like…a fairy or something. Just without wings."

"Can we keep it? PLEEAASE?" The little girl begged.

Vaati suddenly stiffened. No! They were taking himto bea pet or something! He wouldn't stand for that. He squirmed, and then realized that he'd ruined his possum play. He hissed, both in anger at himself and fear of the Hylians.

"You see? Poor little guy's scared to death. Let's bring him home and see if we can find him in your grandfather's books, ok?"

"Yeah! Yeah!" Meggie began jumping up and down. "It's a lizard!"

"It's not a lizard, Meggie. We don't know what it is."

"Lizardy lizard!" She whined.

Vaati panicked. He'd never been in this kind of situation before! In his struggle, he pulled his collar too tight around his throat. Vaati choked.

"Dear! What's it doing?"

"I think it's- oh! Sorry little guy!" The Hylian father let go of the young Minish and placed face down him in the palm of his hand. "He was choking, dear."

"Aw, poor thing… I'm sorry." The mother reached a finger towards him.

"Watch it; he bites."

"I think it's too scared to bite now. There, there…" She cooed, tenderly stroking his hair. Vaati stiffened. He didn't know what to do; too much was happening at once for one lonely Minish.

"You see? He likes it." Vaati became conscious of himself leaning towards the finger. The stroking _did_ feel pretty good…

"How do you know it's a _he_? What if it's a _she_?"

"I don't know. When we find out what it is, it should tell us how to distinguish genders."

"It's a she, mommy! It has looong hair and a dress!" The little girl cried.

Vaati's eyes snapped open. Him? _Female?_ He coughed fiercely, still trying to recover from the strangulation.

"And I do _not_ wear a dress! Please; it's a robe!" He thought. "How dare they! Not only are they idiots, but they're mental!"

He sat in the palm of the Hylian father's hand, fuming.

"I wonder if it can speak? It looks human enough. Look! It even seems… woah… very _very_ angry."

"Hey, little guy? Can you speak? Can you understand us?"

Vaati acted like he didn't. Ezlo had made him study Hylian, so he could speak, read and write it like a native now. But he did not want to converse with the Hylians. He snubbed them.

"I don't know, dear. It looks like it's giving you the cold shoulder."

"I bet it can! Look at his little face… he's so cute!" The mother gently squeezed his cheeks. Vaati sat rigid, not so much from fear, but from embarrassment. His face burned.

"Well, let's take it home and see what we can do."

"OK! Daddy, daddy, let _me_ carry it! Let _me_!"

"No, honey, I think it's best if we let your mommy carry it. Is that alright?"

The girl, Meggie, pondered this for a bit and said, "Yah! It's okey-dokey!"

The father smiled and ruffled his daughter's hair. Then he deposited Vaati into his wife's hand. She cradled him gently in her palm. Vaati lay there, frightened again and confused.

He felt warm and safe for some reason and his fright left him. The Hylian mother made sure to cause him as little discomfort as possible. He began to feel just how tired he was. He closed his eyes and let out a small, satisfied sigh. Things could be worse, right?

Vaati slowly drifted off into a sweet, dreamless sleep.

* * *

So whaddya think? I can up with it randomly one day and thought it was cute. Basically, it screamed, "WRITE ME!" so I did. This is based off a couple pictures I drew of Minish Vaati. Weird huh? That's me for ya. (Laughs creepily) 

For you confused people, this _is_ Minish Vaati. He is 12 in this fic and he's still Ezlo's apprentice. Just clearing that up. And I based the character'Meggie' off my sister. She's so supportive of me! Thanks!

Please review! (Wink wink)

Koholint


	2. Chapter 2

OMG it's been forever since I've written. First of all, I'm really sorry about that! I was going to submit this over two weeks ago, but the document manager was screwing up. Fortunately it works now, so enjoy chapter 2!

_**SailorN: Is this story the reason why Vaati likes girls? **_

_Koholint: No, this isn't. Vaati just likes girls because... well, surely you know! _

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When Vaati awoke, reality took a while to sink in. He blinked sleepily, then opened his mouth wide and yawned. His sharp little teeth glistened in the moonlight. Then he opened his eyes and panicked. He thought he'd gone blind.

After he mastered himself, he realized that he was _not_ blind. It was just nighttime. His eyes soon adjusted to the darkness, but he could only make out blurry shadows. He felt around with his hands and found that he was in some kind of solid-walled cage. It was about three steps wide in all directions. The walls were high and smooth. Vaati himself was lying in some soft material he'd never seen before. It was white and fluffy.

After his eyes adjusted, Vaati realized that he could see _through_ the walls. He crept to the edge of his prison and placed his hands on the walls, then pressed his face against it to see better. What he saw make him shrink back with fright- the Hylians were out there!

Vaati buried himself in the white fluff he'd awoken on. Maybe if they didn't see him, they'd leave him be. But the Hylians didn't move. Curious, Vaati looked outside again. Looking down, he saw that the little girl was lying down in a bed. It was gigantic, of course, just like everything else. If he could've seen better, he would've found that his prison was on a high shelf.

For the time being, Vaati relaxed. The Hylians were all sleeping, so he didn't have to worry about them quite yet. Plus there was no way that he'd escape his cage. The walls were way too hard to break, especially for a small, young Minish. He settled back into his makeshift bed and fell asleep again.

His sleep was troubled, and he had a nightmare. In it, wild shapes poked and prodded him. They had horrible yellow eyes and long sharp teeth. They laughed evilly every time he whimpered in fear. Then one of them picked him up and he shrieked. At that moment, he woke up-

-just in time to see the little girl staring at him.

Vaati lay there, frozen. His pupils dilated until they were just small slits. His crimson eyes appeared huge. Meggie noticed that he was awake, then laughed and skipped away happily. She called out, "Mommy! Daddy! It's awake!"

The girl's parents were startled by her shouts. Her mother rushed over first, running to see what was the matter. Meggie smiled and said, "The little bug we found woke up!"

"It's not a bug, Meggie dear," her mother said, relived. Her instincts always told her that something was wrong when her daughter shouted, although so far, that had never been the case. "We agreed that we'd find out though, ok? Now come get some breakfast."

"YAY!" Meggie shouted.

Vaati buried himself and lay, panting, afraid all over again. He shivered, although it was not cold. The soft white substance that made up his bed did nothing to shake off the chills. He would soon learn that the material was called "cotton". Vaati buried himself in the cotton again and sobbed dry tears, quaking with fear.

Then suddenly he felt an earthquake. A humongous finger was tapping on his cage. It made such a loud noise that Vaati was forced to cover his long, sensitive ears with his hands. Then he heard a lifesaving voice.

"Meggie! Don't do that!"

"Yes mommy," the little girl answered obediently. Finally, the horrible, horrible tapping stopped. Vaati calmed down slightly. Then he saw another hand reach towards him. He hid his face and didn't see the hand grab his prison and lift it up.

Then his ears picked up the most curious noise. He couldn't quite place it, so he opened his eyes. He instantly noticed that the cage was on its side and a hand was unscrewing the lid that capped it. He'd been put in a _jar_.

Vaati readied himself. The minute that lid came off, he was outta there. Just it came off, he darted out the exit like quicksilver. Meggie and her mother screamed, but luckily for them (and unluckily for Vaati), the father was there. His hand darted out and snatched up Vaati before he could escape.

Vaati swore loudly in his own language. If Ezlo had been there, he would've smacked him over the head a couple times with his staff.

And speaking of Ezlo…

"Where is that boy?" He muttered angrily to himself. "I _told_ him not to go wandering off like that!" He rubbed his temples darkly. He felt a headache coming on.

_Ezlo had gotten wind of danger much earlier than the other Minish. He'd warned the village to be careful- Hylians were out there. Ezlo knew that the Hylians couldn't see them, but Hylian children could. It was too much to risk if a Hylian child captured a Minish. Then that Minish would be viewable by the parents, too. _

_Most of all, he'd warned his apprentice, Vaati. The boy was just a little too curious and troublesome for his own good. More than once he'd been outside after curfew. He'd been severely punished, but he continued to disobey. Even after he'd broken a leg and almost drowned after doing exactly what he'd been told not to! _

_Ezlo had raised Vaati ever since his mother died. Vaati's father had disappeared a long time ago, and was thought to be dead. When his mother died, Vaati had been just three years old. He'd been put into the village orphanage until Ezlo returned from a very long trip. When he'd adopted Vaati, the boy had been nearly eight. Once he'd been old enough (ten years old), Ezlo took him on as his apprentice. He'd been planning to ever since Vaati was born. He had also trained Vaati's sorceress mother and had been on good terms with the family. Ezlo was the last living person who'd known Vaati when his mother was alive. _

_Despite the danger of the lurking Hylians, Ezlo took Vaati on a field study of plants. "A sorcerer," he'd been lecturing, "Must know at least a little bit about plants. They can heal, kill, or be used in various other things." Then he'd looked around and Vaati was gone. _

_I should've known better than take him here, _Ezlo thought, mentally berating himself, _I should've known that he'd wander away. _Yetevery time Vaati got caught, his excuse was that he "had better things to do."

Ezlo didn't know what exactly he meant by that. Vaati always took his studies seriously and even passed them with flying colors. At first Ezlo thought that it was something he himself was doing wrong. He thought that maybe he was treating Vaati harshly, but after a careful study of himself, he realized he wasn't. Actually, he treated Vaati rather well.

After Vaati disappeared, Ezlo immediately set to tracking him. Ezlo excelled in a number of fields and tracking was one of them. Vaati was very good at covering up his trail, but somehow his master always found him. This time would be no different, or so it had seemed.

Then Ezlo heard Vaati's cries for help. Vaati _never_ asked for help. He was a reclusive little thing who was very self-sufficient. Even when he'd broken his leg, he hadn't asked for any help. Ezlo knew now that something was _very_ wrong. Then he heard Vaati shriek. Ezlo ran in the direction of the sound, but he was too late.

Ezlo felt the footsteps of the Hylians before he saw them. Their steps shook the earth and made him loose his balance. His heart felt like lead- he feared for his apprentice. He still hadn't taught Vaati any self-defense magic. He mentally slapped himself for not doing so.

His heart almost stopped when he heard Vaati scream again. He knew it was Vaati- no one else had that little… _twinge_ in their voice. Ezlo didn't know how to describe it. It was just one of Vaati's 'isms'.

Ezlo ran on until he saw his young apprentice's trail. It was clearly marked by footsteps and… blood? Ezlo nearly stopped breathing. If something happened to Vaati, he'd never forgive himself. He turned his head sharply towards the Hylians. He could see them clearly now.

Then he heard a different shriek. It was the Hylian girl's. Despite the situation, Ezlo grinned. He bet that Hylian had gotten a taste of Vaati's teeth. At least he knew that Vaati was still alive, at least for the moment. He glanced at a nearby thornbush- Vaati's blood stained the ends of some of the thorns. He sighed, relieved.

_So that's where the blood came from. _Ezlo thought. It eased his mind a bit, but he didn't let up his guard. He'd have to be wary around these Hylians until they left. Plus he needed to rescue Vaati.

He racked his brains, trying desperately to think of a plan. His magic alone wasn't powerful enough to affect the Hylians. He usually used potions to amplify his magic before attempting such a large spell. Then he noticed that the Hylians were moving away. Ezlo followed them. He had to know where Vaati was going, even though he could do nothing for him now.

Ezlo hated abandoning Vaati like that, but he had no choice. His best bet was to track the Hylains, note their location, and formulate a plan. Then he could find a way into the house so he could lead Vaati out.

Fortunately, the Hylian family lived nearby, so Ezlo managed to keep up. They lived in a small house just outside of town. It was fairly close to the Minish Woods, and the family often visited it. Ezlo, still hidden, watched the Hylians enter the house. When they were inside, he slunk out of the bushes and began to poke around the house.

He checked the front door first. There was a tiny crack at the bottom that was unfortunately too small for even a Picori. Ezlo swore under his breath and started to check the brickwork. After a couple hours, in which he'd walked completely around the house, he still hadn't found a way in.

Ezlo went back to the front door. His only choice now was to widen the crack at the bottom. He didn't dare use magic- the destructive spells he knew always caused a bright flash of light that would surely attract the Hylian's attention. And so, Ezlo grabbed a small, flat stone and slammed it into the door. Some tiny splinters were dislodged and fell. Ezlo rammed the pebble in again. He kept this up for a good while, but by nightfall it still wasn't enough.

Ezlo knew that he couldn't stay out here all night, so he took one last look at the house and headed back to the woods.

_Hang in there, Vaati, _he thought to himself, _I'll get you out soon. Just don't end up like those butterflies…_**(1)**

Ezlo spent the rest of the night awake in his mushroom home. He knew that it was useless to worry, but he couldn't help it. His poor apprentice was stuck in some Hylian's home, and Farore knows what could happen to him. Sometime after midnight, Ezlo fell asleep. He was getting too old to stay up all hours like some teenager…

After Vaati had been securely captured, Meggie's father kept a careful eye on him, which Vaati resented.

_It's not like I can escape,_ Vaati thought sourly, _this bastard is practically squeezing my lungs out._ It wasn't exactly true, but he was being held prisoner by a fist that kept him tightly pinned. Only his lavender-haired head poked out, and whenever someone looked at him, he'd snarl. He'd tried to bite, but had earned himself a pop in the nose instead. He forced himself to stay quiet and ignore his "prison guards".

After the family had eaten breakfast (eggs on toast with bacon), the father dropped Vaati back into the jar. Before the lid was screwed on, he tried to scramble up the glass sides, but it was useless- he kept sliding down. Someone, the mother, presumably, dropped in a small scrap of bacon and some egg. It almost hit him in the head, but he dodged quickly enough so that it didn't. The food smelled great, but he didn't touch it. He used his world-famous snub on it instead.

The Hylians left a few minutes later, and the jar was left on the kitchen table. The floor beneath it was tile, and Vaati saw his chance to escape. He moved the cotton to the far side of his cage, so that when the jar fell, he, at least, would land on something soft. Vaati walked to the other side of the cage, took a deep breath, than sank defeatedly into a sitting position. He was too scared to throw himself off the edge. Even with the cotton to cushion his fall, he was still scared. He didn't want to kill himself before he could escape.

_Hmph, _he snorted, _but that might someday be my only way out of here…_

_Oh, who cares? _Another little voice said,_ It's not like anyone would miss you. Besides, if you survive the fall, then you can get the hell outta here. _

Vaati had always thought like this, and so it made him seem a little more depressed than he really was. It wasn't hard to admit, either. Who would miss him? Ezlo might, but he'd probably be happy to get at least one pain out of his life. Vaati bit his lower lip in a pout. He knew he wasn't thinking rationally, and yet this glass prison was the only thing keeping him from freedom. He couldn't just sit there and rot.

Vaati stood up and readied himself for real this time. He knew that his choice was irreversible, and he had to go through with it.

_And if you die, it's not the most painful way to go, _the voice said.

Vaati sighed, and then clenched his hands into fists. His long nails pierced into his skin, but he'd gotten used to that feeling long ago. He prepared himself like a track star- his head was lowered and he was preparing to put all he had into one sprint. He stayed like that for one, two, then three seconds. It was so quiet that if a pin dropped, he could hear it. Then in a rush of violet, he ran straight for the other wall.

Vaati hit it with all his might. He'd aimed correctly and hit the cotton, but he wasn't sure that it would ensure his safety when he fell. But now it was too late for him to do anything. The jar tipped over the edge and fell.

Then it hit the tile and shattered into a million pieces.

* * *

**(1) For those who didn't understand, I'm talking about how people mount butterflies with pins. Ezlo know what happens to them, oh yes he does! XD**

I did it! I actually wrote a second chapter! Now this seems to have a plot, eh? I probably won't write anything else for a long time, so I'm really sorry about that. I hope to continue this fic, as well as a couple of others. Some I just can't keep writing, but I'll leave them as is. Please go to my profile and see the latest details.

If you're confused about something (I know some parts of this chapter are) just ask me. I'll be happy to clear that up for you.

Until next time, folks! I hope you enjoyed it. Also, please review! It encourages me to keep writing.

_**Koholint**_


	3. Chapter 3

Yes! Chapter 3, finally! I'm so sorry that I haven't updated in... forever. I'll try to keep writing more though.

Enjoy! Thanks for all the reviews!

* * *

Vaati lay very still for the first minute after his fall. He'd landed facedown, with his arms circling his head protectively. His legs were curled up under him. The adrenaline's effect from the jump left him shaking- or perhaps that just leftover fear.

But to Vaati, that one minute felt like an eternity.

Then finally- _finally-_, he realized that he was alive. He sighed, somewhat relieved. The cotton had obviously done its job, although he'd still gotten the wind knocked out of him. Whenever he took a breath, it was somewhat painful. His ribs had really taken a blow, but he could tell that they were just bruised.

Eventually, he wiggled his fingers, then rotated his wrist. So far, nothing was broken. Then he gently, almost delicately, he shifted his arms from their previous position above his head to his sides. Once again, there was no pain, except for a dull throbbing in his chest.

Then Vaati felt the pain- _real_ pain. It left him nauseous- his eyes lost focus and he felt like throwing up. He merely wheezed agonizingly, for he hadn't anything in his stomach. He had to find the cause of it- it felt like his entire body was on fire, although he knew that, so far at least, he was ok.

Vaati finally moved his legs. He cautiously uncurled his right one- it was ok. He decided that the nausea was just from his chest and shrugged off the pain. Unconcernedly, he raised himself onto his elbows, then jerked himself off the floor.

_Pain! Pain! PAIN!_

His mind screamed the word over and over and_ over_! No matter what he told himself- he was fine, right? - the pain enveloped him. He bit down hard to keep his teeth from slicing his tongue in half. He ended up with a mouthful of lavender hair, but at least it stifled his scream. The Hylians, to Vaati's knowledge, could still be around, and his instincts remembered that.

The pain left his head throbbing. He panted from it- but he still didn't know the cause. He took a quick look behind at his feet. His eyes widened and dilated- he was in shock.

A piece of glass had stabbed through his left foot.

_Of course,_ Vaati's mind sneered, _Of course it would be the foot you didn't check! _

His mind could still be a sarcastic pain in the ass, even at a time like this. No wonder Ezlo was constantly whacking him.

The message itself was slow to travel to his brain, unlike the pain. His eyes just couldn't seem to comprehend that a piece of _glass_ had _stabbed_ _through_ his _foot._ He just blinked stupidly.

_It's- it's FAKE. This is just a… dream. A dream, right? All that -BLOOD- isn't real… it just can't be… _He laughed, and it wasn't unlike that of a mad persons'.

He continued to stare at his foot, his mind still unable to process what had happened. Vaati did such a good job at coaxing himself into believing that he was dreaming that he actually reached over and ripped the glass out of his foot. He held it in his hand for a minute, and then dropped it with a crash.

Once again, all he knew was pain. He clawed furiously at his foot, almost as though he were a wounded animal. Not surprisingly, that didn't help him much.

After a while, when he had stopped writhing in pain, he lay stomach down on the floor. Vaati felt so lost, and didn't know what to do. He knew that lying there wouldn't help him, as there was the constant danger of Hylians, but if he moved, the pain came back.

_Stop being silly, _He snapped at himself, _It's going to hurt no matter what. Just get out of here and hide somewhere until it's bearable!_

Gritting his teeth, he hauled himself off the floor and finally stood, balancing on his right foot. He'd upset the left one a little, but the shocks were less intense. He bent his knee to keep the hurt foot off the floor, and then took a look around.

He hadn't realized just how _big_ everything was! The table he'd just fallen from towered higher above him than anything in the room. It intimidated him, and it wasn't good for hiding anyways.

He looked further away, this time out of the kitchen. He saw some strange, grass-like, creamy colored substance covering the floor. It looked soft, and at once he decided to check it out. He took one hop, then another, and gave up. There was no way that he could hop all the way over there. He sat down, again favoring his left foot.

Vaati reached over and dragged the cotton towards him. It was soft, warm and fluffy, and he needed to rest a bit and think. He'd seen some strange lumpy furniture in the room with the creamy floor covering, and he knew that it'd be a fabulous place to hide, but he needed to get over there first.

He settled into the cotton and let out a small sigh. His chest was still a little sore, so he focused on that instead of his constantly throbbing foot. Ignoring the large pain for a smaller one helped him a little, but he still hadn't figured out what to do. If he had to, he would really hop all the way, but broken glass lay all around him and he didn't need to kabob his _other_ foot.

Vaati glanced around the kitchen again and mentally cursed it. This was where he'd been held captive, and he didn't like it one bit. He wished he could get away, but his stupid foot stopped him. He sighed miserably, gently nursing the hurt foot.

His instincts were still on alert, and so he fidgeted a little, unable to keep still. He poked at the cotton, pulled at loose thread on his robes, and dragged his finger through small puddles of his own blood. The once clean tile floor was a huge mess, and now smudges of crimson added to the disaster. Not that he cared, of course.

Vaati nervously chewed at a nail. Ezlo had always told him that it was a rather nasty, annoying habit of his, but he couldn't help himself. He'd always been rather high-strung and slightly paranoid, and knowing that Hylians were lurking about didn't do wonders for his nerves. His heart was still slamming in his chest.

He decided to curl up and think a bit. Closing his eyes, while keeping his nose and ears alert, helped to relax him a little. He needed a plan, desperately, and chewing his nails distracted him. He softly counted to ten, like he always did when he was angry, or in this case, frightened. His long eyelashes slowly drooped over his ruby eyes.

Vaati relaxed there for a bit, probably about ten minutes, when a huge crashing noise startled him. He almost let out a yelp as he upset his foot again. He squeezed his eyes painfully shut and willed the waterworks to shut off.

Then he heard it again. It was coming from the front of the house. Vaati immediately burrowed under the cotton, trembling. If the Hylians came back, he'd be imprisoned again. And this time, they'd be more careful about where they put him… not that he wanted to jump off a table ever again.

He kept one beady little red eye on the front door. It would shudder violently with every crash, and he could barely make out small splinters flying from it. It looked like someone was trying to break in…

Another crash. This time, Vaati saw a crack run up from the bottom of the door, and stop almost even with the knob. Any second now, and that door would break apart. Vaati readied himself for another crash, covered his ears, and shrank down even more.

He softly counted the seconds as they went by.

_One._ He muttered, _Two…three…four…_

Vaati _felt _the next crash. The bottom right corner of the door literally blew apart! Splinters, dust, and even some rock pieces shot into the house. Vaati curled up and hid his face. His heart rate had gone up again, and it thudded against his hurt ribs almost painfully.

Then he heard another sound, but it was nowhere near as violent or loud as the previous noise. It was a soft _pitter-patter_, almost like rain. But Vaati had seen the window outside earlier, and the day was just as sunny and stupid as the day before.

Vaati didn't really like sunny days.

The quiet sound came closer, and a bit louder. A horrible thought lodged itself in his mind- _What if it's a cat?_ He didn't want to see it swipe at him, and he couldn't escape with a hurt foot.

Maybe if I don't see it coming, it won't hurt as badly… 

The sound came closer and closer… and a new sound added to the mix. It was a dull _thump_, like wood hitting the floor. The _pitter-patter _also became a bit harsher, as though it was changing what it was walking on.

_Walking…? _Vaati thought, _It's something walking? It doesn't really sound like a cat anymore…_

He peeked out from his soft hidey-hole and tried to make out what was walking. He still couldn't see it, but he could see the front door. In the corner was a huge hole (at least for a Minish) and through it, he could see… outside. Vaati's eyes widened and his heart beat wilder, but this time because of excitement.

If he could somehow drag himself over there, he'd be free…

Vaati hadn't been paying much attention to the sounds. He suddenly noticed that it had stopped, and was now being replaced by a voice.

It was soft and low, but Vaati could make out some words. It took a moment to dawn on him that the words were in the Picori language, not Hylian. He twitched involuntarily, straining his ears to hear exactly what the speaker was saying.

"…_irraccih on uz-iruf…" _the voice chanted.

Vaati twitched again. The person was chanting… a freezing spell? But no one he knew could use such a spell…

Except for _that _person… but there was no way that he'd be here.

Just as a blinding, silver light filled the air, Vaati shouted something, but it was lost in the metallic _crack_ of the spell.

Losing himself completely, Vaati ignored his pain and scrambled as fast as he could to safety. Such a powerful spell would be disastrous if he got struck, and he needed to move _fast. _His foot protested fiercely, but he didn't feel it. He simply _moved._

He'd barely ducked behind a table leg when the spell's icy cold wind blew by. He felt everything go cold. The tips of his ears numbed and his fingers felt frozen. Vaati himself was relatively ok, except for his foot, which now demanded that it be felt.

When the spell had cleared, Vaati sank quietly to the floor, sobbing softly. He didn't even have tears anymore, but he still cried. He felt that he was going to die here, with a crazy psycho after him throwing hexes left and right. Well, that or that stupid Hylian child was going to squeeze him to death...

His foot screamed at him.

* * *

A green-clad figure noticed movement for the first time. His silver hair had just settled down from the wind left behind from his spell, and his robes had also stopped billowing.

He couldn't help but be cautious- the freezing spell had been to keep hindrances away temporarily, although he'd hoped he could sneak in and sneak out without anyone noticing. Now his task was to look for a certain someone, and the movement he'd glimpsed out of the corner of his eye intrigued him.

He readied his staff, and old, wooden thing with a carving of a bird's head on the end. It had been with him through the thick and thin, and it was one of his only methods of self-defense. Fortunately, he was extremely experienced, and his stick was enough.  
The old sorcerer took a step forward, and then another, taking careful aim with the staff. If the creature that moved were hostile, it would soon see the wrath of a powerful spell. You could never be _too_ cautious, he told himself.

Then he heard the most curious noise. He immediately relaxed- something, or someone, was crying, and he wouldn't want to hurt whoever it was. His heart actually went out to them.

He continued walking towards the sound, and then the person shifted again. He saw, briefly, a Minish paw. He sighed, deeply relieved. The other living thing here, beside himself, was one of his own kind. He traveled across the carpeted floor over to the kitchen.

There was a huge mess there. Glass and strange, reddish smudges covered the floor. There was a fluff of cotton, as well. He carefully picked his way through the mess, making his main goal the other Picori.

All of a sudden, the Minish turned towards him. Red eyes bored into his own cool, gray ones.

* * *

Hahaha. Could I make it any more obvious who the "green clad person" is? xDDD Ah well.  
Yeah, this chapter is kinda short and weird, even in my opinion.

The "strange, grass-like, creamy colored substance covering the floor" is carpet, of course. A Minish, having never seen carpet, wouldn't know what that is. I think. Just clearing that up, in case you're confused. Be sure to shoot me a note thingy if you're confused about anything else. ;) And the freezing spell was some random gibberish I made up, by moving around a couple letters in a few Japanese words. One of em was "freeze" I think...

Eh, I'll try to update as soon as I can! I'm sorry, but I'm EXREMELY busy with marching band and school and such.

Thanks for reading, and please drop me a review!

-Koholint

_THIS CHAPTER HAS BEEN EDITED! Thanks to PyroManiacNeko for pointing out that Vaati had lost his feather in the first chapter! I'd completely forgotten... eheheh._ _Thanks!_


	4. Chapter 4

_Ok._

_I haven't updated in a long time, in months, maybe even in a year, but here - FINALLY - is chapter 4! Much thanks to those that review and watch this story, and I can only hope that you will forgive me for my hiatus. I've had this file on my computer since... well, early this year, and worked on it intermittenly until finally adding the finishing touches on today._

_I have started chapter 5, and will try to work on it more often than I usually do. I have another stupid computer class this year, and can actually get a TON of writing done in there, so hopefully the next chapter will be out quicker. I've even started an Ezlo-centric one-shot, although it's going to be very long and it won't be done for a while. _

_Stupid Koholint, for trying to write something else, right? ;P But I've had both this story and that new one-shot I mentioned in my head for years, and I'm just trying to write it all up._

_Thanks for bearing with me, guys, and enjoy chapter 4!_

* * *

Master and apprentice stayed that way for a while. Time slowed and neither trusted their eyes completely.

Vaati thought that he was dreaming again. His hurt foot still throbbed at him, reminding him with its dull steady rhythm that this was _real_, but his mind refused to accept it. Could it be…_ him? _Was he going to be rescued?

Vaati kept his eyes locked onto those of the other.

The green-clad Minish sorcerer could do nothing but stare. The frozen kitchen and the dangerous mess that littered the tile floor were for a moment, forgotten. Ezlo, for it was of course Ezlo, could only hear the slow sturdy, beat of his heart- the only thing that told him anything truthful.

He was the first to break eye contact; Ezlo simply could not believe his eyes. He closed them, believing that the scene would disappear, and inhaled deeply.

When he opened them, Vaati was still there. The scene looked like a painting- everything was almost too… precious. Dried smudges of tears stained Vaati's rose-tinted cheeks and Ezlo felt as though he, too, would cry, just by looking at them. Everything was so… real. But Ezlo had to remind himself that _yes_! This _was _real!

It finally sunk in, and his relief was so great at finding Vaati that he let out a deep, quaky sigh. If something had happened to him…

_No, no, best not to think of that…_Ezlo told himself.

Ezlo had known Vaati and taken care of him for so long now that he had developed a paternal concern for him. The small part of him that wished he'd opted for a having a family instead of becoming a scholar found itself completely occupied ever since Vaati had stumbled into his life. And now for the last twenty-four hours he'd been fretting and losing sleep all because of his lost little apprentice!

His parental instincts were on overdrive, and the adrenaline rush he'd had earlier had subsided and left him shaking. If he were that sort of person, he might have even offered up a prayer of thanks for finding his apprentice in one piece…

… well, almost one piece.

Ezlo's quick gray eyes immediately darted to Vaati's injured foot. He'd been feeling a creeping sort of dread that told him things simply couldn't be this easy… was this why? Vaati's injury?

…but no, Ezlo could immediately tell that Vaati's injury wasn't life threatening. He just needed some ointment and some gauze, and a bit of time to heal. Ezlo's mind was nagging him about… something else.

_But never mind that now, _he berated himself, shaking away that dark nagging feeling, _the important thing is is that Vaati is alive and we can easily get out of here now. _

Ezlo quickly, and carefully stepping over shards of glass, crossed the distance that separated them and gathered Vaati up in a warm embrace.

* * *

After the shock of being reunited had faded somewhat, Ezlo immediately got down to business. Vaati's foot needed treatment right away, and he was definitely in no condition to be spirited back to the Minish village. Ezlo had his bird-headed staff, and healing it would be no problem, but the foot would take a couple of hours to fully mend, as it was so deep. He knew that staying here any longer was foolish, but unfortunately he had no choice.

He turned toward Vaati and gently lifted him. Vaati had collapsed upon the floor as soon as Ezlo had broken their embrace and had remained there, nursing his foot and patiently waiting for his master to finish thinking. It was something he'd gotten used to over the years - if Ezlo needed to think, well by golly, he'd better not be disturbed.

Vaati had been whacked at plenty of times until he'd mastered _that_ lesson quite well, thank you very much.

He winced a bit as Ezlo upset his foot, but it was no longer so painful. Ezlo being there somehow made it all better, and as long as he didn't look at his foot (looking at it seemed to make it worse), he could tolerate the pain. He stood carefully, then looped his arms around Ezlo's neck to steady himself and tentatively asked, "Master…?"

Ezlo smiled down at him kindly and focused his full attention upon his apprentice. "Yes Vaati?"

Vaati swallowed. He still wasn't sure if Ezlo was thinking anymore or not…

"Well, ah… what's the plan?" He smiled sheepishly.

Ezlo chuckled, "We're going to get you fixed up a bit first, and then we can leave."

Vaati noticeably brightened. He felt like he'd been trapped in this Hylian home for years, not just overnight, and thinking about returning to the village definitely lifted his spirits.

"First, though, we have to get out of this kitchen and hide _somewhere_ until we can heal that foot of yours." Ezlo winked and Vaati broke out into a grin. "We're going over there," he pointed towards the living room, "Do you think you can walk it?"

Vaati's grin turned sour and he impatiently rolled his eyes. Chuckling, Ezlo reached over and suddenly swept his apprentice off his feet. Vaati squeaked in surprise, but tolerated being carried, due to his foot. He hugged what he could of Ezlo and buried his nose in his chest.

_Ooof kid, you're not a little boy anymore… _Ezlo thought, surprised at the effort it took to lift Vaati, _Just yesterday you seemed to be so small…_

Ezlo picked his way across the now melting kitchen and desperately tried to avoid the shards of glass strewn across the floor. It was made doubly difficult by the burden he was carrying, especially as he was trying not to accidentally nudge Vaati's injured foot. But he eventually made it safely across the disaster site, and gently deposited Vaati underneath a couch, concealed behind the foot. Ezlo crawled beneath the sofa after him and plopped down next to his injured apprentice.

Ezlo let out a large sigh and leaned back on his hands. He felt… beat all of a sudden, as though he'd been mountain hiking all day. It wasn't that Vaati was _that _heavy, nor that he was _that _old. It was really a mental fatigue more than anything, and he was glad for the chance to rest, at least for a little while. Yesterday's events and all the worrying he had done had exhausted him. And yet, he couldn't sit and rest forever - Vaati's large red eyes were imploring him as to why he was just sitting there.

Surprising even himself, Ezlo reached out and ruffled Vaati's hair. He wasn't usually so fatherly with the boy, but he decided that the circumstances had mandated it. Vaati's eyes opened wide, with which his now messy hair gave him a frazzled appearance, and Ezlo chortled to himself.

"Don't worry, Vaati, I'll fix that foot of yours. Just let me rest for a bit…" He trailed off, feeling that weariness again as he thought about the events of the past day.

Vaati, now assured that his master was in charge and was going to do something, settled down and waited. However, he couldn't help but fiddle with the hem of his robe, glancing up at Ezlo every now and then. He superstitiously avoided glancing at his foot, but he was starting to feel bored. And when he got bored, well, his favorite pastime was annoying Ezlo. An impish grin made its way across his face and his eyes lit up with a rather mischievous light.

Ezlo, suddenly startled out of his thoughts, looked over at Vaati and nearly jumped out of his skin. He jumped to his feet and ended up slamming his forehead into the overhanging of the couch. Vaati cackled, but quickly stopped when he noticed Ezlo's fierce, angry expression, his hand to his forehead. Ezlo wasn't hurt too badly, but it hurt enough that pretending to be mad at Vaati was easy.

Sometimes though, Vaati really scared him… as silly as that was. Ezlo knew he was just very strong-willed and antisocial, and that didn't make him a bad person. Sometimes though, Ezlo fancied there was a demon inside of Vaati, which manifested itself only in extreme situations. He'd caught Vaati doing some very cruel things before, and those expressions of his were almost more sadistic than his actions.

Vaati could be… evil…

_Ezlo, Ezlo, Ezlo, you old fool. Vaati isn't evil! What are you thinking? Sure, he's a bit out there, but then so are you. It was just that expression of his making you think weirdly again…_

Ezlo shook these disturbing thoughts from his mind and sat back down again, nursing his throbbing forehead. Vaati looked very apologetic now and scooted closer, leaning his tired head on Ezlo's shoulder, all the while looking at him, his eyes saying, _"Are you ok?"_

Ezlo shook his head and smiled, then put an arm around his apprentice. Vaati closed his eyes and relaxed, his fears and pains for the moment gone. He was suddenly so tired…

Meanwhile, Ezlo smirked to himself. He was just waiting for Vaati to go to sleep so that he could work on his foot. Healing usually wasn't too bad, but Vaati hated it and claimed that it hurt. So, he would just wait for the boy to drop off to sleep before beginning the healing.

Ezlo always had a plan, even when it appeared that he was idling. Planning, really, almost more than anything, was Ezlo's specialty.

And so he waited.

* * *

Vaati finally fell asleep, comforted by the warmth of his master's one-armed embrace and the lull of another's steadily beating heart. He looked the epitome of a sleeping angel, (though of course he really wasn't one). Ezlo inched away, careful not to upset him or accidentally wake him. He let Vaati slide softly onto the floor, his legs brought up toward his chest and his hands slightly curled in their resting position. Vaati's lavender hair spilled out onto the floor and pooled underneath him.

Ezlo – almost – rubbed his hands together in glee. That, of course, wasn't a very mannerly thing to do, and extremely un-Ezlo-ish, but he was delighted that his plan was working so far. He picked up his bird-headed staff, which he'd laid on the floor next to him, and prepared to heal Vaati's foot.

By now, it had been a couple hours or so after the accident, and the blood on Vaati's foot had caked up. The blood flow from his foot was minimal by this point, but not yet completely abated. Ezlo had to clean all of the dried blood off first, and then he could stem the flow of blood and finally heal the punctured flesh, bone, and ligaments.

And so he set to work. He first pointed the bird's head at the foot, muttered some words, and a gentle, cleansing stream of water poured from the tip of the beak. This he used to carefully clean the wound – he didn't want Vaati to wake up because of the sensation of water. He decided it was a bit too risky to continue, however, after Vaati stirred twice. So he whispered another command to his staff and a flaky, glittery powder materialized into his hand. This powder he tossed into the air above Vaati's head, which effectively sent him into a deep sleep. This special sleeping powder would keep him snoozing, even through major things like surgery.

Ezlo finished cleansing the wound with the water and some iodine he'd magicked. It was probably the iodine that made Vaati hate healing so much, as it stung like a cloud of hornets, but it was extremely effective in preventing infections. He finished the cleansing by running more water over the wound to get the iodine off.

As for the magic water and iodine, it didn't run into the carpet and stain things, or get things wet. It was magical, of course, and poured on the surface you wanted it to be poured onto, but nothing else. It had taken Ezlo a while to master the technique perfectly, but he considered all of his practice well worth the time it took. He often used it, mostly around the house, but in some special situations as well.

Now Ezlo really got a good look at the wound. It wasn't as bad as he'd thought earlier – it was just a thin, thin stab through the foot. A stab through the foot was bad, of course, but a thick stab would have been even worse. Ezlo murmured yet another spell, and a thick, creamy substance frothed forth from the beak of his staff. He stuffed the hole in Vaati's foot with it, and let it sit. This substance was a special material that quickly stopped bleeding. Ezlo let it sit a minute or so and then washed it away. He carefully poked at the wound with his finger, chewing nervously at his tongue, to make sure the bleeding had subsided. Luckily it had, and Ezlo could move onto the third and final step of the healing: the actual "repairing" of the foot. Since the wound wasn't as bad as he'd thought earlier, it wouldn't need the couple hours he'd figured it would need. The repairing would be much quicker, which would hopefully work to their advantage – the Hylians could still return home at any given moment.

The repairing was the part of the healing that required his utmost concentration and energy. He softly spoke the healing command and a strange, yet soothing, green light erupted from the head of the bird. This light he passed over Vaati's injury, all the while murmuring different spells and commands.

He kept one thing and one thing only in his mind the entire time: _Heal Vaati. Please heal my Vaati's poor foot…_

Outside, the wind picked up and then suddenly subsided.

Ezlo's concentration was enormous and his technique precise. The actual mending took less than a minute, but afterwards he felt physically drained. He always did after performing a healing, but luckily this one wasn't very major (compared to others). So he breathed heavily for a few minutes, brought his heart rate down, and then surveyed his work. There was nothing more than a scar left in place of the wound, that would need a day or so to be fully "set", but Ezlo considered his work done

Now he just had to wait for Vaati to wake up… the sleeping powder's effect wouldn't wear off for a couple hours, and carrying Vaati all the way to the Minish village was out of the question. As much as he hated to admit it, he was too feeble and old to carry Vaati very far anymore. So Ezlo had no choice but to wait, which he loathed even more than being old. He fully realized that they were still in a Hylian house, and that the Hylians would return sometime. He just had to hope that they wouldn't come home for a while…

Such thoughts went through his mind, and the sleep lost from the last night already had him nodding.

* * *

Vaati awoke, startled by a sound. He managed to comprehend in his half-consciousness that he had been asleep (since when?) and that his foot didn't hurt anymore. Also, there was a warm body somewhere on his right side…

Vaati groggily pulled himself up and saw Ezlo passed out on his right. He sniggered softly to himself at Ezlo's sleeping position. He was on his back, sprawled out, with his mouth open and his head tilted to the side. Vaati figured that if Ezlo were a cartoon drawing, he'd be drooling. The thought alone was enough to send him into a fit of giggles – the perfect, refined Ezlo, drooling in his sleep!

Then another sound shut him up in alarm. He heard the sounds of feet tramping and a gasp. He heard gasps and sounds of shock. A giggle, and then a high-pitched inhalation of surprise. More gasps. He heard voices, and distinctly the word "door".

In Hylian.

Vaati panicked and threw himself at Ezlo, shaking him furiously, attempting to wake him up. Ezlo finally cracked open one eye, then suddenly wrenched himself into full consciousness at seeing Vaati's exasperated expression. He was frightened, and badly. Ezlo's fatherly instinct reared its head and spurred him into action.

"Vaati? What's wrong? What – " Vaati cut him off in alarm.

"The Hylians! Ezlo, they're home!" He hissed in a panicked whisper. He was still tugging panickedly at Ezlo's sleeve.

The effect of the bad feeling Ezlo had had earlier returned in full force. It nagged at his thoughts, telling him that something was about to go terribly wrong. He snatched at Vaati and clutched him protectively to him, his heart rate picking up speed and hammering in his chest. Even Vaati could feel it, the sensation causing a dull throbbing to begin again in his bruised chest. He squirmed uncomfortably, but couldn't escape Ezlo's tight embrace.

The Hylians, meanwhile, surveyed the damage done to their front door and hovered about the disaster site. The father was distraught and the mother was nearly hysterical – they feared that someone had broken into their home. The father was the first to venture into the house, his wife clutching him and their little girl Meggie following closely behind.

The family cautiously ventured in, the father putting his hand to his pocket, feeling for the knife he always carried. He was tense, the smallest sound freezing him in place. He held his family back with an arm, and eventually he called out.

"Hello-ooo! Anyone here…?"

Ezlo clamped a hand over Vaati's mouth and clutched him tighter, praying to the forces that be to keep them hidden and undiscovered.

* * *

_Ooof, crappity ending right? I was actually at a loss of how to end it, but chapter five picks right up where it left off. I'll try to write as often as possible, but I can't really guarantee anything. Computers are so distracting! xD I can't even get any digital art done anymore! _

_I know some things are a bit confusing, but just ask me if you need something cleared up. _

_But hope you enjoyed, and click that lovely review button for me, ok my pretties? Your support really helps, and it's largely due to reviews and watches that I even remember, "Oh yeah, I have that fic to write!" _

_Thanks for bearing with me, and hopefully you guys enjoyed this chapter._

Koholint


	5. Chapter 5

_I'm sorry if you want to throw something at me, I really am. I'll dodge it, I promise!_

_(cringes)_

_It's been way too long since I updated this, I know. I'm terribly terribly sorry. I always start my chapters immediately after finishing the previous one but... then they sit. And sit. And sit some more. I'm trying to be better about updates, but it's not working so well. _

_But I hope you guys haven't forgotten about this fic. It's still alive, really! Read and enjoy, and if you've forgotten what happened in past chapters, I encourage you to re-read them. None are over 5 pages, so it won't take too long. Enjoy!_

_Oh, and one last thing: I'm sorry if there are some weird typos in this. It had some weird stuff going on, but I hope I fixed everything._

* * *

The Hylians stopped, listening, but received no answer.

Ezlo still would not let go of Vaati, and both frightened parties stayed motionless and silent. The father turned to his family and whispered something to them, which made them relax, but Ezlo overheard him cautioning them to be careful.

Ezlo however, did _not_ relax his hold on Vaati, and was still terrified of being discovered. Sure, the Hylians believed that no one was there, but he couldn't afford to take any risks.

The little family walked into the living room, past Vaati and Ezlo's hiding place, and saw the kitchen. This second shock almost sent the mother into a faint, but her husband was there to catch her. Meggie was sobbing, scared because her parents were scared, and she clutched her mother like a lifeline.

The family was tense again, but mutually decided that no one was there, and that whoever had done this had already left. Meggie was sent to the living room, and she settled on a chair across from their hiding place, snuggling in a blanket and hiding her face. The mother and father were comforting each other in the kitchen, and then gathered supplies to help repair the damage and clean up.

The mother began sweeping up the kitchen, sobbing about the blood she saw and the water all over the place, while her husband took some tape to temporarily repair the front door. Meggie was still terrified, and had buried herself further into the blanket.

Ezlo and Vaati watched warily, and slowly Ezlo loosened his death grip upon his apprentice. He gave Vaati a stern look and placed a finger over his lips, his grey eyes dark and serious. Vaati nodded once, but even when Ezlo released him, he still wouldn't let go of Ezlo.

The little girl eventually fell asleep, a few dried tears still on her cheeks, and her mother came in and tucked the blanket about her. She sat on the edge of the chair, a loving expression on her face, but then she sighed and that expression was replaced with one of fear and worry. She buried her face into her hands.

Her husband joined her after a moment, assuring her that everything was really all right. Nothing had been stolen, and there was no damage to anything except the front door. Ezlo watched them, still wary, keeping his and Vaati's breathing as silent as possible. Vaati watched Ezlo, awaiting another plan.

Finally the father rose and planted a kiss upon his daughter's brow. His wife rose also, pleading with him to be careful, and he nodded. Ezlo tensed; this was the opportunity he was looking for. If they both left, sneaking by the sleeping girl would be no problem, and they could escape to freedom.

But Ezlo's hopes were crushed when the wife sat down again; only her husband was going upstairs. Ezlo overheard snatches of Hylian conversation, but he didn't pay them much attention; he already knew that the father was going upstairs to check for intruders. Vaati sighed in disappointment as well and snuggled closer. He knew that they were going to be stuck underneath the couch, hiding, for a while yet.

About ten minutes passed before the father came downstairs again, shaking his head. He had discovered nothing upstairs, and everything looked just as they had left it that morning. He stood beside his wife and sighed, but this soft sound accidentally woke their daughter.

She sat up, immediately clutching her father's arm, and asked if everything was ok, to which he nodded. But suddenly Vaati had a premonition; the girl was going to ask about the jar, and ultimately, him. He grabbed Ezlo's arm tightly to get his attention and shook it. Ezlo looked down, slightly annoyed that his observations had been interrupted, but it dawned upon him what his apprentice was about to say.

Ezlo nodded gravely, and Vaati understood that _he_ understood. He swallowed hard, anxious. If the Hylians remembered him and decided to look for him, everything would be over; they'd never be given a chance to escape after this.

Even before word "where" had issued from Meggie's mouth, Ezlo had already risen and helped Vaati up. He dashed behind the couch's small leg and pressed himself up against it, holding Vaati close; if there was even _one_ second that they could use, he would take it. It was just a matter of waiting for it…

Vaati swallowed again, his heart rate picking up speed. He was nervous, and the adrenaline rushing through his system was making him shaky. Ezlo squeezed him for comfort, but shushed him as quietly as he could.

He peeked cautiously about the leg of the couch to check for their opportunity to escape; the girl, Meggie, had already asked about them and her parents were searching about earnestly. Ezlo inhaled sharply; at any moment now, the girl's parents would approach the couch opposite them and search underneath it.

He looked quickly in the direction of the door, a snatch of sunlight still poking through the tape the Hylian father had used to repair it for the time being. Luckily he'd missed a tiny spot at the bottom, and even from far off, Ezlo could tell that it was large enough for a Minish to squeeze through.

Glancing back at the Hylian family across from them though, Ezlo's hope for a quick escape dwindled. The Hylians showed no signs of leaving and the girl's soft sobs about her "lost pet bug" motivated her parents to continue their search.

Vaati evidently heard the part about the "pet bug" and stiffened, and Ezlo had to clamp a hand over his mouth to keep him from hissing too loudly. Vaati relaxed, but his expression was pouty.

Suddenly the two Minish heard a loud gasp and the quick step of heeled shoes. They saw the mother's shoes quickly clip-clop past their hiding spot and into the now debris-free kitchen.

"Honey! That little creature was here on the table in the jar! That's where the glass came from! He's gone!"

The Hylian father followed his wife and they conversed softly. Ezlo watched Meggie warily; if she took enough interest in what her parents were investigating, they could run for it.

_But wait, Ezlo. Are you sure that running for it now is the best option? You could get into an even stickier predicament. You should wait until dark._

Ezlo mentally nodded to himself; it _would_ be silly to attempt to escape now…

But as a stark contrast to Ezlo's patience, Vaati's was running out. He was sick and tired of being stuck in the Hylian house, hungry, still slightly sore from the healing Ezlo had performed, and irked at the Hylians' stupidity for not realizing earlier where the glass had come from. Ezlo had to squeeze his shoulder to bring him back to reality and their dilemma, but Vaati ignored the warning.

"Master Ezlo, can't we just run past the girl? She shouldn't be a problem!" he whispered pleadingly.

His words were exactly what Ezlo had been thinking earlier until he'd realized the foolishness of it. But talking now too, was foolish, and Ezlo narrowed his eyes at Vaati and pursed his lips, tense. Luckily Vaati's whisper hadn't alerted the girl, so he took a risk and answered.

"Vaati, you know that that's too risky… even if she manages _not_ to catch us, she could still put us in a worse situation than we are in now! You know it's better to wait until they go to sleep rather than run such a risk!" Ezlo was distraught and whispered softly and angrily.

Vaati sighed, rolled his eyes, but nodded. He knew Ezlo was right… but sometimes he really hated that. So he kept his eyes on the door – freedom – but made no motion to leave, so Ezlo relaxed somewhat.

The Hylian parents were still in the kitchen, and the girl Meggie was snuggled in her blanket on the chair across from them. And as Ezlo watched the girl, he realized that she really _wasn't_ paying much attention to anything; she had relaxed again and wasn't even interested in what her parents were discussing in the kitchen.

_Maybe Vaati's right? _He thought. _That girl would be very easy to sneak past… but no, no… what am I thinking? We can't! It's suicide! I already told myself that we wouldn't escape now…_

He became aware of Vaati's red orbs watching him intently, seeming to understand what he was thinking.

"See?" he mouthed.

Ezlo nodded once, but he was frowning. Vaati tugged upon his sleeve, his eyes shining.

"Look," Vaati whispered, "The adults are searching for us in the kitchen. If we go now, we could leave without a scratch, but if we wait, we're stuck here for _hours_, because they're going to come back very soon." He pointed in the direction of the kitchen and tugged on Ezlo's sleeve again, trying to be as persuasive as possible.

"Vaati…"

"No, Master! Look again! The girl's practically asleep! Let's go, please!" His expression was endearing and Ezlo almost said yes. But Vaati's appeal didn't work; Ezlo still needed time to think.

He had, at most, three or four precious minutes, and his quick mind set weighing options right away. He kept glancing at the girl on the chair; her eyes were tired and the lids kept slipping down. Finally, he reached a decision and began whispering his plan to his apprentice.

"Vaati, as soon as that girl's eyes close, we run for it. We'll leave at the same time, and I mean it, _run._ Don't stop until you get through that door and are outside, do you understand?"  
Vaati nodded eagerly; his leftover adrenaline was making him antsy and he wanted to take a risk. And because he was still quite young, a fine line ran between fear and fun, and he was starting to get bored of hiding. He had been terrified earlier of his other risk – tipping the jar off the table – but now he wasn't scared. Ezlo was with him.

The two Minish watched Meggie's face intently; the moment her eyes closed, they'd be off quicker than arrows from a bowstring. Already they were as tense and poised as marathon runners.

A few seconds passed, and Ezlo's heart rate picked up speed again and began racing along. His palms became slightly moist and his mouth dry, but he was ready.

The girl's eyelids were still drooping, and finally, impossibly slow, they shut.

* * *

_"Run!"_

Ezlo shoved Vaati forward as hard as he could before tearing off after him. They sprinted quickly, Vaati slightly faster than his older master.

Yet for some reason, Ezlo hadn't had any kind of feeling about their risk until their mad dash for the door. It seemed to him that they ran in slow motion; the girl on the couch hadn't even noticed him, but suddenly the bad feeling he'd had earlier returned.

He suddenly felt that they _shouldn't_ go through the door; something wasn't _right_.

But before he could think too much about it, he'd caught up to Vaati and wedged himself in the tiny hole in the door, breathing heavily as he leaned back against the wood. Vaati had already gone outside and refused to allow Ezlo to rest, and had pulled him outside after him. So they stood, in the late afternoon sun, enjoying the breeze and the way it refreshed them.

But Ezlo's bad feeling still hadn't gone away; in fact, it was much stronger now. He surprised Vaati by jerking him closer in a one-armed hug, examining their surroundings.

But he didn't see _her _until he glanced at his right; the last place he'd scanned.

And suddenly a loud _CRACK!_ broke the still air and he dragged Vaati in a whirlwind of green and violet through the door and back into the house, the cat centimeters from them, some powder from Ezlo's firecracker-like spell suspended in the air.

They'd barely gotten through when the black-and-orange blur crashed into the door, the sound of her head hitting a dull thud that rang throughout the house. Petrified, Ezlo and Vaati watched as the cat steadied herself and then attempted to bat at them through the door. Her paw was wedged in the hole they'd just squeezed through, and all the Minish could do was watch.

They'd been _that_ close to being kitty dinner, and the reality of that sunk in slowly, leaving them shaky. They still couldn't bring themselves to move.

And the Hylians had heard everything too; Ezlo's spell had been quick thinking on his part, but had only slowed the cat by a half-second. It had created the loud crack, but the Hylians had been especially alerted by the cat's crash against the door.

A sudden shadow blocked out all light above them and Vaati looked up only to see the Hylian girl above them, smiling with delight. He tried to shove Ezlo out of the way, but only succeeded in throwing him to the ground. He fell with an "Oomph!" and lay winded upon the ground, unable to move.

But Vaati had already taken off and looked back just to see Ezlo struggling to stand as the girl's hand came closer and closer. He struck her hand with his bird-headed staff, but it didn't do anything other than surprise her a little; it had been like throwing a tiny twig at her.

But it gave him the second he needed to get up, and then he was tearing after Vaati, who stood dumbly, mute with fear for Ezlo.

Unfortunately the parents were in the living room by now and there was no chance of escaping them. Ezlo ran past Vaati and grabbed him by an arm, half-dragging him and nearly taking off his arm until he regained his ground and ran with him. They tried their best to avoid being stepped on or captured, but it was difficult trying to avoid three Hylians, dodge feet, and run as fast as they were going. But they managed to do it, and things seemed fine (or as fine as things can be when imminent capture seems to be the case), and they made a last final dash for the couch in order to hide again.

Then Ezlo dropped his staff.

On instinct he stopped and turned to grab it, but the Hylian father was upon him quicker than he could reach it. Perhaps he could have grabbed the staff and escaped, but his hand had sent it skidding across the ground, and he faltered, staying still just long enough to be grabbed.

Vaati screamed and ran towards the father, tearing in vain at his shoes, and madly dodged hands that were reaching for him. Ezlo tried to yell at Vaati and instruct him, but he was already too high up for Vaati to hear him. And then he was smothered by the father's hands.

Vaati screamed again, but realized that it was futile to try and help Ezlo. He scampered away, heartlessly, his eyes prickling with unshed tears… until he saw Ezlo's staff lying forgotten on the floor. Hope flared again in his heart, and as he ran towards it, reaching as far as he could, the girl Meggie reached down and scooped him up.

He struggled madly, trying to bite, but even the little girl had gotten wise since her last experience with holding him. She grabbed him by the back of his robe and let him dangle, proudly skipping off to show her mother.

Vaati felt sick to his stomach as he watched the ground underneath him, and he felt as if he were going to fall any second now. And even if he fell… he didn't feel as if he would care. He felt suddenly empty inside, and cold. He had no hope left – it was too much of a shock to him to see his "omnipotent" and "omniscient" master be captured.

In the end he didn't fall, and Meggie waited patiently for her mother to pick something off the ground before showing off her "pet".

But as he looked down, Vaati caught a glimpse of the object the mother had picked up – it was Ezlo's bird-headed staff! He saw her place it on the little table by the couch they'd been hiding under earlier before he was plopped into the mother's hand, obscuring his view. The staff… he had to get the staff…

But Vaati finally let fear overtake him; Ezlo had been captured before his very eyes, and now he had been too. And with Ezlo's staff gone, they had no hope of escaping so easily again – or of escaping at all.

He curled into a little trembling ball, hiccupping softly. And as frightened as he was, the strangest thought occurred to him.

_"Wow, I haven't had the hiccups in a long time…"_

* * *

_Theme of the chapter: Hiccups! Well actually, I'm kidding. (But I seriously have the hiccups right now...) _

_Anyway, I hope you all have enjoyed this long-overdue update for this poor neglected fic of mine. As always, I shall try my best to get the next update out ASAP (it's summer now, after all!), but I can't promise anything. My only personal note upon this chapter is that I don't really like it that much. I don't know why._

_But what I can say is that SOMEDAY I shall finish this! I have my chapter outlines ready, and this looks like it will be 10 chapters or, more specifically, 9 chapters and an epilouge. Hang in there! I'll get it done sometime! (Even if it takes another two years to get 5 chapters out!) _

_(Cringes again.)_

_I'm the worst fanfic author in the universe, I know. I'm sorry. But as always, your reviews have really helped me out! I love reading them and it encourages me to keep writing. So if you enjoyed, clicky-clicky on that nice button down there and leave me a review! (Heck, if you want, drop me a PM and tell me that I suck and need to write instead of browsing online when I'm on the computer! Heheh!) _

_Well, I hope you all enjoyed. I bid you all adieu for now - so, until next time!_

**Koholint**


	6. Chapter 6

_Greetings again! I have to say that this is probably my quickest update in the whole history of this fic; but it is also a very short chapter, topping off at barely six and a half pages. Hopefully it's not a crappy chapter, and I do hope you all enjoy it._

_I can't make any promises about the next update of this fic; but for sure this is the last update of the summer. School starts extremely soon for me, and I have absolutely NO idea what is going to happen this school year. I'd love to be able to update again by the end of the year, but you all know how slow I am, so we'll see. I know for certain that I shall be busy, but hopefully not too busy to write occasionally._

_Like I mentioned at the end of Chapter 5, it seems as though this story is slated for 10 chapters total, or more specifically, 9 chapters and an epilouge. Keep your fingers crossed that I will finish it soon! All of your encouragement (reviews) help so much! _

_**I must also leave a huge thank-you to Haayls, who goes by Vaati the Wind Mage here on FFN. (The full thank-you is in the footnote.)**_

* * *

Vaati and Ezlo were lucky for many reasons (especially since they had escaped the cat), but Ezlo was secretly thankful that their Hylian captors were kind people. And he had two reasons for that, even though he was now imprisoned in a glass jar.

(Vaati hoped that they would have another opportunity to smash it, but the Hylians weren't as stupid as he wished, and they had placed the jar in a potholder so that it couldn't be tipped. The jar had also been placed further back from the edge of the kitchen table. Of course, when Vaati brought up the subject, Ezlo immediately reprimanded his rashness, and then had to calm his heart rate before he could think too much about Vaati being killed. That too scary a thought for even Ezlo, who was old and generally unafraid.)

But there it was, Ezlo's number one reason for being thankful to his captors: he and Vaati had been imprisoned together. He'd been terrified for his apprentice when he'd been captured, and couldn't imagine worrying about him while they were stuck in separate jars, not knowing if the other was alive or not.

It hurt too much to even think about.

Luckily, when he'd been (gently) dropped in the jar, Vaati had already been there, and his relief was so great that he'd immediately wrapped the boy in a strong hug, which Vaati hesitantly returned. Usually Vaati pretended to not show affection, but he too was glad that they were together.

Of course, when he realized that he'd been showing affection for Ezlo through the entire (failed) rescue mission, he'd immediately retreated to the opposite side of the jar to brood. Ezlo wasn't too hurt because he was used to Vaati's mannerisms, and was actually quite glad that he was back to normal.

They hadn't had a peek of the Hylians since they'd been dropped in the jar, and that ruined Ezlo's plans of "diplomacy". After all, both Minish spoke Hylian, and Ezlo was sure he could convince them to release them. But they didn't show up, even though Ezlo had waited for hours.

Evening was coming on now, and the dying rays of the sun barely gave off enough light to illuminate their jar. Vaati had unconsciously scooted closer to Ezlo because of the darkness and was drooping sleepily. Ezlo stayed awake, and made sure Vaati didn't fall asleep, as he was still wary about their situation. So he was slightly alarmed when he heard footsteps that sounded as if they were tramping down the stairs.

He peered through the glass and into the living room where the Hylian mother and father were entering from the stairway. They sat down together upon the couch, and the mother sighed. Ezlo could just barely hear their conversation, but he and Vaati remained still, eavesdropping, and they managed to catch all of it.

Ezlo quickly became bored by the Hylians' domestic conversation ("Meggie was tired today, poor dear…"), until they changed the subject to something of personal concern to Ezlo – he and Vaati.

"What are those creatures, dear? We have two of them in that jar now, and none of your father's books has anything close to them."

"I'm not _sure_, darling… whatever they are, they're not insects."

(Vaati nearly gagged from all of the terms of endearment the Hylian couple used, but managed to keep the gagging quiet after Ezlo shot him a look.)

They continued debating about what species Ezlo and Vaati were, but nothing was close to "Minish", and again, Ezlo thought the conversation was a waste of time.

That is, until he heard something _very_ interesting…

"Does your father's research friend still live in Hyrule Town?" The mother looked tired, but she had a glint of curiosity in her eyes that even Ezlo, all the way in the kitchen, could see.

"I… I'm not sure. Do you mean Dr. Left?" His wife nodded. "He used to live on the west side of town…" The father rested his cheek in his hand, thinking some more.

His father had been a biologist and had often worked with a friend, and as a boy he and his father would spend a lot of time visiting. But it had been a long time since his last visit, especially since his father had died.

His wife continued her thoughts aloud.

"Hmm… you know, maybe he'd know what those critters are. Didn't he do a lot of small animal research?"

"You're right honey, that's a good idea – and you know, he may actually still live there..." A thought had come to him.

"How about we pay him a visit, dear?" The woman turned to her husband, excitement in her expression.

The Hylian father laughed. "Of course we can! We could go tomorrow, since we have to run into town for groceries anyway."

The mother smiled, and after a while the Hylians stood and went back upstairs until morning.

* * *

The conversation they'd overheard stirred up some mixed feelings for the two Minish. Ezlo was deathly afraid of being pinned to a board or turned into a specimen floating in formaldehyde, but on the other hand, this could mean another chance for escape. Vaati seemed a little green around the gills as well, so Ezlo patted him lightly on the head, which seemed to calm him down a little.

Never mind the fact that Ezlo didn't have anybody to calm _himself _down.

He stayed up late into the night, hours after Vaati had finally succumbed to weariness, thinking while quietly stroking his apprentice's soft lavender locks. But unfortunately, not much can be done from within a glass jar, and Ezlo nodded off a little before midnight.

* * *

Vaati woke first the next morning, which was unusual for him, but he couldn't sleep much after the sun rose, as the light bothered him. He noticed Ezlo still sleeping, but he remembered the sickeningly worried look on Ezlo's face from last night, and he decided not to wake him.

Ezlo worried a lot at times, and Vaati knew that, but this was the first time he'd seen real fear on his master's face. It unsettled him.

Vaati, though, wasn't really sure _what_ to think about the conversation they'd overheard. Of course he was worried that they were going to be killed, but the real impact of it hadn't yet hit him. He was still only twelve, after all, and while he was more mature than most twelve-year-old Minish, he was growing tired of the misadventures he'd been having lately. It was easier to leave the planning and worrying to Ezlo.

Vaati stood and padded softly across the jar to the other side and peered through the glass. Judging by the sunlight coming in through the windows, it was probably about eight in the morning, and strangely enough, the Hylians weren't yet awake.

Or else… they weren't home.

Vaati's heart leapt into his mouth with excitement; if the Hylians were indeed gone, this would make their escape a cinch. He scrambled back to Ezlo and shook him as roughly as he could. They'd need all the time they could get to escape.

Ezlo awoke quickly, his mind already in overdrive. His worrying from last night had kept his mind busy, and he was wide-awake in an instant, even though his sleep had been troubled.

He looked up to see Vaati's red eyes imploring him to look around, and he did. He noticed, much like Vaati had, that the house appeared to be empty, and already a plan formulated in his mind.

Unfortunately they were still on the kitchen table, and the jar was unable to be tipped enough to break it. And without his staff, Ezlo was very nearly useless; he had his own magical powers of course, but earth-based magic wasn't going to help much here, and he needed his staff to amplify the magic in order to do more powerful spells.

Vaati also had his wind magic (which was a highly unusual power source for a Minish), but he was still young and hadn't the experience Ezlo had with his earth magic. Vaati could control the wind to an extent, but it would be many years before he could use his powers to full capacity.

Fire magic, or even water magic would help more, but again, Ezlo needed his staff for such spells, as his natural affinity with either was low. Vaati had a fair affinity with fire magic, but he barely had any experience whatsoever with the element.

So all in all, they were _both _useless.

Ezlo chastised himself for having barely begun Vaati's magic training; he knew Vaati was a natural, but he'd focused his training on the basics – which were, of course, necessary, but he felt that he could have sped up Vaati's training a little. It would have been good for the boy, and he would have been able to handle it with ease.

Mentally, Ezlo sighed, but he promised himself that when (if) they got out of here, he would speed up Vaati's training. And the healing arts had been boring Vaati ever since they had begun the topic; would it really harm him to learn more magic than healing arts?

Ezlo hoped not.

Vaati was watching him closely, waiting for him to speak or make a move. Ezlo sighed, smiling; Vaati really was quite patient with him, and Ezlo had to appreciate that.

"I'm sorry Vaati, I was thinking again."

Vaati's eyes twinkled with amusement and withheld laughter, but he said nothing; he'd run out of sarcastic comments about senior citizens and Ezlo's eccentricity a long time ago.

* * *

They conversed softly to pass the time, and Ezlo even managed to get a good lesson on the basics of non-amplified magic casting in before a loud sound interrupted them. It was a side door that they hadn't noticed before in the kitchen; and the Hylian family entered the house, the mother carrying their breakfast plates.

So _technically_ the Hylians hadn't been in the house… they'd only been outside eating breakfast.

Ezlo frowned and protectively pulled Vaati closer to him, although he was a little rougher than he'd meant to be. The little girl, Meggie, had sat in a chair at the table and was examining them, her golden head resting upon her hands. She kicked idly with her legs, already bored because Ezlo and Vaati didn't move.

Vaati glared at the girl with as much venom as he could (after all, it was her fault he'd been captured in the first place), but the little girl obviously didn't understand.

"Momma, they're not doing anything," she complained when her mother came closer.

Her mother peeked into the jar and Ezlo held eye contact with her before she left, suggesting that her daughter follow her upstairs to get dressed. The girl happily followed her mother, the long end of her nightgown swishing with her bounces of excitement.

Ezlo figured that they had about an hour before they left for Hyrule Town to meet this researcher, Dr. Left, and he was worried about it. It was hard for an adult to see a Minish or even believe the stories about them, but Ezlo couldn't shake a strange feeling he had about this biologist.

Vaati squirmed against his tight grip and broke away, staying a safe distance away so that he couldn't be pulled close again. Ezlo shrugged helplessly; instinct to keep Vaati safe far overrode his respect for Vaati's "no-touch" rule. But Vaati looked at him and held the eye contact as though forgiving him – just this once.

Vaati sat down where he stood and sighed.

"Master Ezlo, what are we going to do?"

Ezlo joined him in sitting and wondered what the best reply would be. It wouldn't do to scare Vaati, but he also could not lie to him.

"Vaati, to be honest, I'm not really sure." He avoided the thought that they could be killed – it wasn't lying, not really.

"Do you think this researcher knows about us? Because it could be bad if he knows, right?" Vaati turned to him, his mouth pressed in a thin line. "I mean… maybe he'd let us go, but then again… I don't want to be a lab rat, master."

"Those are my thoughts, too," Ezlo answered. "But neither you nor I can do much at this point; we just have to hope for the best, I guess."

Vaati turned away, sighing unhappily. He hated it when he didn't know something, but he hated it even more when Ezlo didn't. It was usually a bad sign.

* * *

The Hylians traipsed down the stairs, fully dressed and freshened up for a trip into town. Meggie came down first, skipping gleefully in was looked like a brand-new dress; her daddy had bought it for her when he'd gone into town last week, when she had been sick and mommy had had to stay with her.

Vaati was filled with revulsion at the sight; the dress was a horrible pink and her happiness disgusted him. Of course, he had a grudge against her for eternity now anyways; the dress really wasn't as bad as his grudge made it out to be.

The two Minish watched quietly as the Hylians busied themselves with gathering what they needed for their weekly trip into town. A pair of red eyes and an older, grey pair watched as the mother packed some bags into a satchel and as the father grabbed various lists and his daughter, who in her excitement had nearly crashed into a table.

Eventually the Hylian family was completely ready to leave, and they very nearly forgot about Ezlo and Vaati. Unluckily for the two Minish, however, Meggie cheerfully waved goodbye to their jar and made her parents remember them. The Hylian mother was the one to grab their jar, and she carried it with her gently out the door; but even her gentleness caused the jar to shake sickeningly, and Vaati unashamedly clutched Ezlo and buried his face into his master's robes, too terrified to look down.

Ezlo breathed evenly a few times to calm his rising panic and patted Vaati gently on the head as he watched the outdoors from inside their jar. The mother's hands obscured little of the view, and despite the disorienting feeling of being so high up, Ezlo could _almost_ enjoy the scenery. _Almost_, of course; there was still the unknown looming ahead of them, and Ezlo was still extremely apprehensive about the whole ordeal, but pretended to be calm and unworried for Vaati.

Inside though, Ezlo felt very differently than the image he was trying to convey – he was worried not only about visiting the researcher, but also about the journey itself; what if it was too hot outside and they died in the stuffy little jar? What if the mother accidentally dropped them and they were dashed upon the ground?

Ezlo shook his head mentally and told himself to relax; there were plenty of holes in the lid of the jar, which allowed for comfortable ventilation, and the mother wasn't as careless as her young daughter was.

_We should be fine._

Ezlo attempted, once or twice, to tap on the walls of the jar to get the Hylian woman's attention so that he could speak with her, but she was busy talking to her family and was unable to hear the soft _tap-tap_. He sighed in frustration, causing Vaati to look up at him worriedly, but he smiled down at his apprentice as though to say, "Don't worry."

His master's calm outer appearance helped Vaati eventually relax, albeit very slowly, and about midway through their journey (so Ezlo gathered from the chattering of the Hylian family), he peered out of the jar, too.

Soon master and apprentice were speaking softly about small things, such as the scenery, and Vaati finally scooted away from Ezlo to get a better look outside and to listen better. (They had both been listening to the Hylians' conversation, but had been unable to gather any new information about this Dr. Left they were about to go visit.) Vaati started up some small talk about the scenery, which helped both of them relax even more, and by the time the white walls of the city appeared, Ezlo was giving Vaati a small lesson on the history of Hyrule Town.

It was an interesting tale, and Vaati was distracted enough by it to not even notice when Meggie tripped; if he had noticed, he'd have laughed at her misfortune.

The entire trip took only about forty minutes, and Vaati gazed with fascination at the ancient gate of the town. It was open during the day, so he didn't get to examine the doors as well, but as they passed through Vaati ran excitedly across the jar so that he could see it as they walked away.

Ezlo had been in Hyrule Town a few times before, and always for studying, but seeing it anew through Vaati's eyes reminded him of the first time he had been there. He'd been much older than Vaati at the time, but he'd still been amazed and as full of childlike curiosity as Vaati was now. The thought made him smile, but then he frowned, and Vaati turned around and tilted his head in confusion.

"What is it, Master Ezlo?" he asked.

"Nothing, Vaati. I'm just sorry that we're in this kind of situation on your first visit to Hyrule Town," he said, sighing heavily.

Vaati traipsed over to Ezlo and sat down, bringing his knees up and resting his head on a hand. He though for a moment, looked around, and suddenly smiled.

"I think it's fine, master; it's so much more exciting like this!" Vaati's eyes sparkled in the sunlight.

Ezlo couldn't help but feel his heart break; there were so many things that could go wrong that even _he_ couldn't plan for. He didn't even want to _imagine_ what sort of things could happen to them, and the thought that his young apprentice's bright future could be taken away so early _hurt_.

Ezlo was not at all a religious man, but he silently sent a prayer up to the goddesses asking for their protection, if only for Vaati.

Vaati was still gazing about elatedly, free of the worries of his master.

* * *

_Well, there's chapter 6, and I hope you all enjoyed it! It was short, wasn't it? (sweatdrop)_

_Anyways my lovelies, please leave a review! I love reading them and as I've mentioned before, your encouragement helps so much. _

**-Koholint**

**_And here is the full thank-you for Haayls/Vaati the Wind Mage! She pre-read most of this chapter and helped give guidelines on where to end it, and she even looked up the name of Dr. Left for me, which I could not find on my own! Visit her FFN account _****_or DeviantART _****_to read her fics and see her drawings. She's as big a Vaati fangirl as I am. (big grin) She'd really appreciate it if you dropped by, and I hope this little plug is a good thank you. (hugs) I'd have included links, but FFN didn't like them._**


	7. Chapter 7

I'm pretty much the worst author ever when it comes to updating... I am really sorry, everyone. However, I totally appreciate every review that I have ever received, because they remind me that I have a story to finish and they encourage me to keep writing. I started this in the summer actually, but I was working and kind of forgot about this again. HOWEVER! I got off my lazy bum today and finished it, so I hope that the few of you that still read this will be happy and enjoy it!

Hugs to all~

* * *

Hyrule Town was lively this morning. Produce vendors shouted their prices at passer-bys and the mysterious acolyte vendor sat near the marketplace with his multicolored jars. Bakeries left their doors open, tempting potential buyers with the wonderful smell of fresh-baked bread.

Vaati soaked in all of this information, especially the smell of the bakery. The holes the Hylians had punched in the top of their jar allowed all of the wonderful sounds (and smells!) of Hyrule Town to drift in, and Vaati eyes were sparkling with excitement. He'd never been to such a huge town before, and even Minish marketplaces weren't as lively as Hyrule Town was today.

He constantly tugged on Ezlo's big sleeves, asking what such-and-such was or if they could get some bread later too. Ezlo answered his apprentice's questions as quickly as they came, thus encouraging even more.

But Ezlo was not as relaxed or excited as Vaati was. He couldn't help but think of all the things that could go wrong and his nerves wouldn't allow him to relax. Ezlo was silently calculating their route through the town, and he'd noticed that the Hylians were drifting westward now, away from the vibrant marketplace and its surrounding businesses.

Soon the center of town was behind them, and Vaati gazed about curiously at the more residential, calm area of the city. There were still a few businesses about, such as a café, but it was nothing compared to the city market.

About ten minutes after they had passed the market, Vaati got bored. He didn't much care for the Hyrulian resident's homes, and they reminded him too much of the situation he and Ezlo were currently in. Many of the homes were smaller than the home of their captors, and better suited to life in the city.

Eventually Vaati sat down, and Ezlo joined him slightly after. Their fear of being in a glass jar, suspended above the ground, had mostly gone away. Only once had the Hylian mother carrying them jolted the jar (and this was because of an out-of-place cobblestone), and Ezlo had finally stopped worrying about what he couldn't control. If the Hylian mother dropped them, there would be nothing he could do about it; but also, her care with their jar had proven to him that she would _not _drop them.

It was a comforting thing to know, even though Ezlo still mistrusted the Hylian family. He didn't trust anyone with his precious apprentice, although if Vaati knew he would have rolled his eyes and grumbled about Ezlo being too protective of him.

Not that Ezlo could help it, and he smiled as he thought about this and reached out to pat Vaati on the head. His apprentice's startled red eyes met his, but after a moment…

"Master Ezlooo!" Vaati griped, running a hand through his hair. "Don't pat me on the head!"

Ezlo only chuckled softly. Vaati was definitely getting back to normal, even though they were still currently prisoners in the jar. He had liked being able to get away with patting his apprentice's soft violet hair, though it seemed Vaati was going to try to nip that behavior in the bud.

Suddenly the easy atmosphere dissipated, and Ezlo and Vaati glanced at each other for a moment before scrambling to their feet. The Hylians had stopped in the middle of the street, and they seemed to be lost. The wind carried away most of their soft conversation however, and Vaati and Ezlo were only able to eavesdrop enough to understand that they were merely trying to remember which road to take.

Ezlo sighed with relief and sat back down; he had been deathly afraid that they had reached their destination. It was inevitable that they would, but Ezlo would have liked to postpone that as long as possible.

Vaati kept on his feet, hovering as close to Ezlo as he could without outright spelling out the fact that he was starting to get scared. Vaati may have only been twelve, but he wasn't naïve enough consider this a field trip.

His fear had been dammed by the earlier excitement of the town, but the quick conversation of the Hylian family about directions had reminded him of why they were here. This wasn't one of Ezlo's ideas to encourage Vaati to become worldlier; this was wholly a different matter.

Vaati knew that they could be in danger, and as he snuck a glance at his master's face, he understood suddenly that Ezlo had been worrying their entire trip. Vaati, as mature as he was for his age, still wasn't old enough to understand that most of Ezlo's worry was for him.

Vaati sighed softly, glancing out of the jar a moment and watching the houses pass by before looking at Ezlo again, but this time Ezlo's eyes met his. Instead of looking away quickly, Vaati kept his master's gaze, snorted softly, and then plopped down next to Ezlo, pretending to be impatient. But Ezlo smiled and abruptly threw an arm around Vaati (who squawked in shock and embarrassment – after all, Ezlo was such an uncool old fart!).

But even so, Vaati didn't throw off Ezlo's arm; he never dared admit to himself that Ezlo's presence was comforting or that he was scared. He pretended instead that he was humoring Ezlo's oldness – old people needed hugs sometimes, and he leaned his head on Ezlo's shoulder while glaring at his master, reminding him not to get used to this, even while he wrapped his small arms around his master.

Ezlo squeezed Vaati gently, which earned him another round of spluttering and complaints about "old people". Ezlo amusedly asked Vaati what old people he meant, and the brat rolled his eyes.

They watched the scenery go by and heard from a distance the sound of rushing water. The sound grew louder as the Hylians walked, and Vaati had lifted up his head to peer about for the source of the sound.

The source was actually quite close by, and after a minute or two Ezlo and Vaati realized that a bridge was coming up. They could now see the river gushing by merrily, and the Hylians' daughter, Meggie, rushed up ahead, shouting excitedly.

Her father ran after her and caught her before she could go too close to the water; though actually, the piece of the river that ran through Hyrule Town was not very dangerous. Meggie was just so small that even the relatively shallow river was a danger, as it was so wide.

Vaati secretly wished the girl had fallen in.

Meggie was quickly steered back to the road by her dad, and the family continued walking, this time over the bridge. Vaati couldn't help but feel excited again; this was his first time crossing a Hylian bridge! He loved watching the water go by from up high in the jar, but he wished he could have been outside with Ezlo. Ezlo would know what types of fish lived in the river and whether or not certain types of plants grew nearby, and plus, Ezlo would have let him go exploring.

_Usually_, Vaati thought guiltily. The reason he and Ezlo were in this mess in the first place was because he had wandered off without permission. Vaati sighed unhappily, leaning again on Ezlo.

Both Minish were suddenly startled out of their temporary calm when the Hylian father shouted excitedly, waving his arm in the direction of a house. Meggie and her mother hurried after him, and Vaati clutched Ezlo tighter, feeling slightly sick because of the increase in pace.

The family went up a couple steps to a house and waited while the father knocked at the door. He beamed, expecting an answer right off the bat, but nobody came to the door. Ezlo tried desperately to calm his frantically beating heart – he'd been dreading their arrival all day. He could only hope that no one was home.

The father knocked again, his smile lessened, and finally they heard a scuffling and a man with coke bottle glasses and puffy green hair appeared when the door finally opened. He was bent very slightly with age, and he adjusted his glassed and peered at the family and examined the father carefully.

"Dr. Left?" the father asked, "Don't you remember me?" He smiled hopefully, and finally the man smiled back.

"Why if it isn't John's little tyke! And his family too! Come in, come in!" Dr. Left opened the door all the way and gestured for everyone to enter the house. They went in quickly, their eyes squinting as they adjusted from the bright afternoon sun to the dimness of the indoors.

Dr. Left bustled about, apologizing profusely for the mess of books all over the house, but the father dismissed his apologies. He'd spent enough time here with his _own_ father, back when he had been small and his father and Dr. Left had been research partners, to be used to all the books.

Ezlo clutched Vaati to him and remained quiet, having to clamp a hand over Vaati's mouth to keep him from asking questions. Their jar was placed on a clear spot on an otherwise book-covered desk, and the Hylian family went off with Dr. Left to another room, probably to chat over some tea.

Finally Ezlo released his tight hold over Vaati and gave him a quick glance that clearly said, "Keep quiet". Vaati bit his lower lip and gave him a bratty look, but complied. He was as antsy as Ezlo was, because he'd finally realized that Ezlo was scared too.

Vaati wanted to ask question after question after _question, _but he didn't dare disobey Ezlo now. He wasn't terrified of being gassed and pinned to a board like Ezlo was (he didn't know about such things, after all), but he knew that _something_ bad could happen to them. He felt suddenly very small and useless, and he knew that if something were to happen, only Ezlo could help.

But Ezlo didn't even have his staff anymore; he wouldn't be able to amplify his magic well without it. Vaati knew this too, and he glanced worriedly at Ezlo, who was now pacing back and forth, his long robes dragging on the ground behind him.

Finally Ezlo stopped his pacing and sat back down next to Vaati, who looked at him eagerly; maybe his master had found a solution? But Ezlo just shook his head and sighed.

"Vaati, listen to me," he whispered, his expression serious as he placed his hands on either side of Vaati's face, forcing him to look at him, "You have to let me handle everything; do not speak to them, do not attack them; do _nothing_ unless I tell you to. I am going to do whatever I can to get us out of here, but you _have_ to listen to me." He shook Vaati gently for emphasis, and Vaati gulped and nodded.

"Yes master," Vaati said. And he must have realized the seriousness of Ezlo's request, because he suddenly lunged forward and buried his face in Ezlo's robes, clinging to him tightly. He wasn't crying, but his little shoulders shook with fear.

Ezlo felt awful; it wasn't his fault they were in this situation, but his heart hurt whenever his young apprentice was frightened or hurting. Vaati was… the closest thing he had to a son, and the little violet-haired child inspired him to have paternal feelings.

Ezlo hugged Vaati back tightly, and finally Vaati wormed his way out of the hug and stood up, his hands on his hips. He gave Ezlo what could have been a fierce glare if he hadn't known how scared the boy was.

"But we'll be okay, right Master Ezlo?" Vaati asked, his eyes shining with determination.

Ezlo never got a chance to answer him, because suddenly Dr. Left and the Hylian family bustled into the room and switched on the light, startling both Minish. Vaati squeaked in fear and clutched Ezlo again, and Ezlo did his best to remain as calm as he could while the Hylians approached.

"… and here they are…" The mother was saying as the people grouped around their jar. "We're not sure what they are, but we thought that you might know…"

Dr. Left adjusted his glasses to peer inside the jar at them, and Ezlo felt like snarling (but he didn't do it). The funny little man stared at them for a few moments and then reached out and lifted the jar to examine them closer.

Ezlo held his gaze, maybe trying to will the man into letting them go, but Dr. Left didn't seem to get the message and instead he placed the jar back down again. It seemed Ezlo's warning earlier wasn't going to be needed; Ezlo had expected the biologist to take them out of the jar.

"I need to check a book quickly… I just got it from the library the other day actually," Dr. Left said as he rummaged through the piles of books on the desk. The father nodded, and beside him his daughter Meggie bounced up and down excitedly.

Finally Dr. Left found the book he was looking for and flipped through it quickly, adjusting his glasses every now and again when he had to peer at smaller print. The family stood back respectfully and allowed the biologist to work.

Suddenly he tossed the book aside and continued tearing through the piles of books lying around. He searched feverishly, eventually flipping through three or four other books before sighing and reaching almost tentatively for a book bound in green and decorated with gold.

After a few minutes of flipping through this book, the green-haired man looked up at them, grinning triumphantly.

"I think I know what your little creatures are… it was my first thought, actually, but… I had to check all those books to make sure. You may think I'm a little batty, but this is what I have concluded."

He showed the family the title of the book: _Legend of the Picori._

Meggie made her mother read it aloud to her, and she squealed happily, accepting the idea without question. But her mother and father both wore the same dumbfounded expression.

"Picori?" the mother finally asked, "But… but they aren't _real_, are they?"

Dr. Left smiled patiently, obviously prepared for this reaction.

"They can't be anything else. This book is the only one I have found that is completely devoted to the study of the legendary Picori! It is comprehensive and the author has obviously seen them before. She explains that the Picori usually appear only to children; and you said earlier that it was your daughter that captured the first one. This is consistent with the theory of the Picori – the author's own child captured one as well, you see. And when her child captured the creature, she could see it, too, which is probably why all of us adults can see these two."

Dr. Left laid down all of these facts and more to the family, and he finally saw that he had them convinced, except for…

"Well… this seems okay so far but… how did the author of that book describe their appearance?" The father still needed more proof; his father had been Dr. Left's research partner after all, and he also had the mind of a scientist.

Dr. Left silently flipped through _Legend of the Picori_ and turned the book around to show them an illustration.

It filled up two whole pages, and the drawings were small, detailed sketches of a tiny creature with big ears, shiny black eyes and bare, four-toed feet. Except for differences in hair and eye color, and clothing, the little creature in the drawings perfectly resembled the two critters they had imprisoned in the jar on the table.

The father was immediately convinced, and he whispered to himself in a tone of reverence, "… Picori, eh?"

The mother, upon glancing at the illustration, was just as quickly convinced as her husband, and she went over to the table to peer at Ezlo and Vaati again just to make sure her eyes were not deceiving her. They weren't; Ezlo and Vaati peered at her frightfully, but she could easily see the obvious resemblance between them and the creature in the drawing.

Dr. Left suddenly shut his book with a quick snap and gestured for everyone to follow him again, and the Hylians disappeared, leaving Ezlo and Vaati alone again.

Vaati was the first to break the silence.

"M-master… how could they know what we are? And believe it? I thought Hylians didn't believe that Minish existed!" He was frantic.

Ezlo sighed, "This Dr. Left is a scientist, Vaati… and that book definitely helped him. We… we just have to wait and see what happens." He patted Vaati's hair softly, hoping to calm his apprentice down a little.

Both waited silently for the Hylians to return, but it was hours before they finally did. Vaati had fallen asleep (the afternoon had already turned to evening), and Ezlo remained awake with his thoughts.

He couldn't do anything to save them if Dr. Left decided he wanted them for specimens to study; his earth-based magic was next to useless inside of a house, and it was already weak without his staff. He had no plan; he just had to hope that nothing would happen to them.

Dr. Left and the Hylian father came back first, and they examined Ezlo and Vaati but did not remove them from the jar. Both men made sketches from different angles and drew for a good half hour, and then they disappeared again for a short while.

Finally, the whole group came back. This was what Ezlo had been dreading; he put an arm protectively around his snoozing apprentice and waited. If they were going to be turned into pinned specimens, it would be now.

Dr. Left approached the jar, smiling and pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. He reached out and lifted the jar, walking with it back to the group, and instead of killing them, he wordlessly handed the jar back to the mother.

Ezlo was confused, and he remained that way until the Hylians said their goodbyes and thank-yous to Dr. Left. They made their way back through Hyrule Town, passing all the same homes and businesses as they had on their way in. Evening shadows made the town look different, and the family passed through the gate before it shut, making their way back home.

It was nearly dark when they got back to the house, and Vaati had slept the whole way. The fact that they were still alive had finally settled into Ezlo's head, and when the Hylians had all gone to bed and left them on the table, he hugged Vaati gently and felt like weeping with relief.

Today could have been a complete disaster; it could have even been their last day ever. But it turned out fine, and for that, Ezlo was eternally grateful. They had one last problem to solve – they needed to escape and get back to the Minish village – but Ezlo now felt confident that they could do it. He just needed to wait for tomorrow…

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Again, I love reviews, so if you still read this, please leave me one! I would really appreciate it... but even if you don't leave a review: THANK YOU FOR READING! 3


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